POL 201 Week 1 DQ 1 Separation of Powers Checks and Balances
For much of 2011 and 2012, public dissatisfaction with Congress rose to all time highs, with 7080% expressing disapproval with how Congress does its job. Many commentators note that
Americans are fed up with Washington "grid-lock" that makes government apparently unable to
address important problems. Other observers believe that the national government is acting
according to its design, based on separation of powers and checks and balances.

In your initial post of at least 200-250 words, analyze how the U.S. Constitution implements
separation of powers and checks and balances. Briefly explain why the constitutional framers
based the new government on these ideas. Evaluate how separation of powers and checks and
balances are working out in practice, today, justifying your assessment with persuasive reasoning
and examples.
Fully respond to all parts of the question. Write in your own words. Support your position with
APA citations to two or more different resources required for this discussion.

POL 201 Week 1 DQ 2 Amending the U.S. Constitution

The U.S. Constitution is considered a “living document” because it can be amended as new
issues arise or public opinions change. Using the Internet, identify a constitutional amendment
currently being proposed by a member of Congress. Identify the Congressmen, the proposed
amendment, why it is being proposed and what you believe are the chances that it will be passed.

In republicanism, the state is viewed as a
Under John Stuart Mill’s “harm principle,” government may regulate private

10.

The basis in the Constitution for expansive congressional authority is

Question :

Locke’s use of the term “property”
Schattschneider’s “mobilization of bias” is characterized by all except:
Samuel P. Huntington defined “creedal passion periods” as periods when
Which of the following distinguished the New Jersey Plan from the Virginia
The purpose of the Constitutional Convention was to
Impeachment can be characterized as a
In creating a new government, the Framers sought to

POL 201 Week 2 DQ 1 Policy-making in the Federal System
In your initial post of at least 200-250 words, briefly summarize the national government's
education policies. Explain the main pros and cons in the debate about these policies. Evaluate
them from two perspectives:
a. The policies’ effectiveness in improving the quality of U.S. elementary and secondary
education. (Justify your assessment by clearly explaining your definition of "effectiveness" and
how it should be measured or determined.)

b. Their consistency with the constitutional framework of federalism. (Justify your assessment by
clearly explaining your interpretation of American federalism's constitutional framework and
why federal education policies are or are not consistent with it.)

POL 201 Week 2 DQ 2 Meet Your Representative

Go to the United States House of Representatives website and research for your Congressional
representative by entering your zip code in the "Find Your Representatives" block. Select your
Congressman and then visit your Congressman's official website. Identify those issues your
Congressman emphasizes on his or her website. Explain why you believe those issues are given
priority on your Congressman's website based on what you have learned from your study of the
U.S. Congress and as a constituent of your Congressman's district.

POL 201 Week 2 Quiz

1.
Question : Dual Federalism is characterized by
2.
Question : Under a Home Rule Charter, local authority is
3.
Question : When states or localities receive categorical grants-in-aid from
th
4.
Question : General Revenue Sharing offers states and localities even
greater flexibility than block grants because they
5.
Question : With unfunded mandates, the national government
6.
Question : An earmark is
7.
Question : According to David Mayhew’s “electoral connection” thesis,
the primary purpose of members of Congress is to
8.
Question : Congressional staff have an important role in Congress because
staff.
9.
Question : Representation in Congress works through
10. Question : Technology is important in congressional representation
because it allows for
POL 201 Week 3 DQ 1 Presidential Leadership and the Electoral College

Briefly summarize how the Electoral College works. Explain some of the main pros and cons in
the debate about whether to keep or abolish the current Electoral College process. Also explain
one proposal to change how the system works without formally abolishing it. Evaluate the
various arguments and the proposal. Include at least two perspectives in your assessment:
a. Your judgment about the relevance of the Electoral College's underlying rationale to
contemporary America.
b. Your judgment about its impact on presidential leadership capacity.

POL 201 Week 3 DQ 2 Defense Spending and the Military-Industrial Complex
Explain the iron triangle model of policy-making involving Congress, the bureaucracy, and
interest groups. Analyze information about relationships among Congress, the military
bureaucracies, and defense industries. Draw your own conclusion, and support it with facts and
with persuasive reasoning, about the impact of these relationships on defense spending. Evaluate
the accuracy of the iron triangle model as a basis for understanding the process of making
defense spending policy.

POL 201 Week 3 Quiz

1.
Question : The nerve center of the American Presidency is
2.
Question : Given the standard of “High Crimes and Misdemeanors,” a
President who uses military force
3.
Question : The standard of “High Crimes and Misdemeanors” for
Impeachment generally refers to
4.
Question : Thomas Jefferson justified the Louisiana Purchase on the
grounds
5.
Question : A President who has a political mandate has
6.
Question : The federal bureaucracy effectively makes public policy by
7.
Question : An iron triangle is
8.
Question : Which functions are not performed by the American federal
bureaucracy?
9.
Question : The American bureaucracy conjures up the following images
except
10. Question : A president who appoints a careerist to his cabinet wants
POL 201 Week 4 DQ 1 The Supreme Court and Judicial Review

a. What judicial philosophy should guide the Supreme Court's exercise of judicial review?
b. Should the Supreme Court's power of judicial review be strictly limited by a constitutional
amendment?

POL 201 Week 4 DQ 2 Habeas Corpus and the War on Terror
Habeas Corpus and the War on Terror. Soon after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the
Bush administration developed a plan for holding and interrogating prisoners captured during the
conflict. They were sent to a prison inside a U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay on land leased
from the government of Cuba. Since 2002, over 700 men have been detained at "GITMO." Most
have been released without charges or turned over to other governments. In 2011, Congress
specifically prohibited the expenditure of funds to transfer GITMO prisoners to detention
facilities in the continental United States, making it virtually impossible to try them in civilian
courts. As of April 2012, 169 remained in detention at GITMO (Sutton, 2012).
An assumption made by the Bush administration in selecting this location was that it was beyond
the jurisdiction of U.S. courts. The administration wanted to avoid any judicial oversight of how
it handled detainees, characterized as "enemy combatants." A possible legal challenge to
indefinite detention with no formal charges or judicial proceedings might arise from the habeas
corpus provision of the Constitution.

POL 201 Week 4 Quiz

1.
Question : Which case established the precedent of the U.S. Supreme
Court being able to strike down
2.
Question : When the Supreme Court hands down a decision, it is
3.
Question : The professional qualifications model in the selection of judges
holds that
4.
Question : In Gibbons v. Ogden, the Supreme Court held that
5.
Question : McCulloch v Maryland is an important case because it was one
of the cases whereby the
6.
Question :
able to
7.
Question :

Under the precedence of Plessy v. Ferguson, a state would be
Civil rights in the United States evolved from

8.
Question : The Privileges and Immunities Clause of the Fourteenth
Amendment means
9.
Question : Overall, we learn that civil liberties in the United States mean
that
10. Question : To be treated equally under the Equal Protection Clause of the
Fourteenth Amendment means
POL 201 Week 5 DQ 1 Party Platforms and Winning Elections
Political parties mobilize voters to win elections and implement policy goals. Parties use their
stated policy goals (i.e., their platforms) as a way to mobilize voter support. Generally, in order
to be successful in a two-party system, parties must have policy goals across a broad range of
issue areas to appeal to a broad range of voters.
For this discussion, you will identify one issue area that you want investigate. Use the resources
required for this discussion to gather information about the goals and proposals, in that issue
area, of three political parties â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Democratic and Republican parties and a third party.

POL 201 Week 5 DQ 2 Voting and Turnout
Voting and Turnout. The U.S. has one of the lowest voter turnout rates among modern
democratic political systems. One study ranks the U.S. 120th on a list of 169 nations compared
on voter turnout (Pintor, Gratschew, & Sullivan, 2002). While during the last decade many
initiatives have been undertaken to increase voter participation, concerns about the possibility of
election fraud have also increased. Additionally, some political interests feel threatened by the
increase in turnout among some traditionally low-turnout ethnic minorities.
Several states have recently passed legislation imposing new registration and identification
requirements. This has sparked debate about whether these are tactics intended to suppress
turnout or to prevent fraud.
Soon after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the Bush administration developed a plan
for holding and interrogating captured prisoners. They were sent to a prison inside a U.S. naval
base at Guantanamo Bay, on land leased from the government of Cuba. Since 2002, over 700
men have been detained at "GITMO." Most have been released without charges or turned over to
other governments. In 2011, Congress specifically prohibited the expenditure of funds to transfer
GITMO prisoners to detention facilities in the continental United States, making it virtually
impossible to try them in civilian courts. As of April 2012, 169 remained in detention at GITMO
(Sutton, 2012).
An assumption made by the Bush administration in selecting this location was that it was beyond
the jurisdiction of U.S. courts. The administration wanted to avoid any judicial oversight of how
it handled detainees, characterized as "enemy combatants." A possible legal challenge to
indefinite detention with no formal charges or judicial proceedings might arise from the habeas
corpus provision of the Constitution.

POL 201 Week 5 Final Paper Civil Liberties, Habeas Corpus, and the War on
Terror

The final assignment for this course is a Final Paper. The purpose of the Final Paper is to give
you an opportunity to apply much of what you have learned about American national
government to an examination of civil liberties in the context of the war on terror. The Final
Paper represents 20% of the overall course grade.
Soon after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the Bush administration developed a plan
for holding and interrogating captured prisoners. They were sent to a prison inside a U.S. naval
base at Guantanamo Bay, on land leased from the government of Cuba. Since 2002, over 700
men have been detained at "GITMO." Most have been released without charges or turned over to
other governments. In 2011, Congress specifically prohibited the expenditure of funds to transfer
GITMO prisoners to detention facilities in the continental United States, making it virtually
impossible to try them in civilian courts. As of April 2012, 169 remained in detention at GITMO
(Sutton, 2012).
An assumption made by the Bush administration in selecting this location was that it was beyond
the jurisdiction of U.S. courts. The administration wanted to avoid any judicial oversight of how
it handled detainees, characterized as "enemy combatants." A possible legal challenge to
indefinite detention with no formal charges or judicial proceedings might arise from the habeas
corpus provision of the Constitution.
Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution states, "The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall
not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require
it." Under this provision, persons detained by the government are entitled to a judicial hearing to
determine if there is any legal basis for their detention. Some legal commentators refer to the
right of habeas corpus as the "great writ of liberty" because it is a prisoner's ultimate recourse to
an impartial judge who can review the possibility that he is being held illegally by the executive
(e.g., the police or the military). In nations that do not honor habeas corpus, people simply
disappear into prisons without ever having their day in court.
Several controversial Supreme Court cases have come out of GITMO. One fundamental question
that has been debated, but not clearly resolved, is to what extent the war on terror justifies the
President's indefinite detention of "enemy combatants" without the possibility of the minimal
judicial review protected by habeas corpus? Another issue in the debate is to what extent
Congress must clearly authorize the President to conduct extra-judicial detentions in order for
them to be legal? In 2008, the Supreme Courtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision in Boumediene v. Bush offered some
answers to these questions. However, the deeply divided 5-4 Court and the likelihood of the
protracted nature of the war on terror suggest that debate around these important questions will

continue. Writing the Final Paper in this course will prepare you to participate intelligently as a
citizen in this ongoing debate.
Write an essay about the right of habeas corpus in the context of the war on terror. Your essay
should address the following subtopics:
The general meaning of the right of habeas corpus in the U.S. Constitution and its relationship to
the protection of other civil liberties. The historical evolution of habeas corpus, including its
English and American traditions. Examples from U.S. history of the "suspension" of habeas
corpus and their applicability to the present. The relevance of habeas corpus to the contemporary
U.S. situation during the war on terror, especially with respect to persons characterized by the
President as "enemy combatants" or "illegal combatants." The U.S. Supreme Court's
interpretation of the right of habeas corpus with respect to "enemy combatants" or "illegal
combatants" (i.e., the views of the five justices making up the majority inBoumediene v. Bush as
well as the views of the four dissenting justices). Your evaluation of various perspectives on this
topic expressed by justices of the Supreme Court, leaders in other branches of government, and
commentators in both the academic and popular media. Your assessment should consider several
perspectives on this topic, including : The role of the President as commander-in-chief. The role
of Congress in determining when habeas corpus can be "suspended." The role of the Supreme
Court in protecting civil liberties, including the judicial philosophy which should guide the Court
in this role, and Your personal philosophy, values or ideology about the balance between civil
liberties and national security in the context of an unending war on terror.
Follow these requirements when writing the Final Paper:
The body of the paper (excluding the title page and reference page) must be at least 1,500 words
long. The paper must start with a short introductory paragraph which includes a clear thesis
statement. The thesis statement must tell readers what the essay will demonstrate. The paper
must end with a short paragraph that states a conclusion. The conclusion and thesis must be
consistent. The paper must logically develop the thesis in a way that leads to the conclusion, and
that development must be supported by facts, fully explained concepts and assertions, and
persuasive reasoning. The paper must address all subtopics outlined above. At least 20% of the
essay must focus on subtopic 6, above (your evaluation of arguments about the topic). Your
paper must cite at least three academic articles (excluding the course textbook) and at least four
other kinds of sources (e.g., Supreme Court opinions, magazine or newspaper articles, the course
textbook, and reliable websites or videos). Use your own words. While brief quotes from sources
may be used, altogether the total amount of quoted text must be less than five percent of the body
of your paper. When you use someone else's words, they must be enclosed in quotation marks
followed by an APA in-text short citation – (Author, Year, page) – to your source. The in-text
citation must correspond to a full APA citation for the source on the reference page at the end of
the essay. When you express in your own words someone else's ideas, arguments or facts, your
statement must be followed by an APA in-text short citation – (Author, Year, page) – to your
source. The in-text citation must correspond to a full APA citation for the source in the reference
page. The form of the title page, the body pages, and the reference page must comply with APA
style. Additionally, the title page must include the course number and name, the instructor's
name, and the date submitted. The paper must use logical paragraph and sentence transitions,
complete and clear sentences, and correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
For this paper you need to do research in peer-reviewed journals or other sources that are
considered to have reliable information. In addition to your required course text, you need at

least seven professional scholarly sources, three of which must be peer reviewed journal articles
from the Ashford Online Library.
Academic research papers must meet university level standards of quality. What constitutes
quality, academic research?
Primary sources written by experts in the field of study Secondary sources supported by research
in primary sources Credible sources (experts in the area of study) Relevant research (materials
are pertinent to the area of study) Peer-reviewed journal articles (journal articles reviewed by
recognized experts in the relevant field of study). Educational and Government websites (those
ending with a web URL suffix of .edu or .gov) may be appropriate in some cases but should be
evaluated carefully.
Please visit the Academic Research section on your course homepage (accessible through the
Student Responsibilities and Policies tab on the left navigation toolbar) to review what types of
materials are not acceptable for academic, university level research.
The paper must be at least 1500 words in length and formatted according to APA style. Cite your
sources within the text of your paper and on the reference page.